The General Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) was left ‘inspired’ by nursing staff at Watford General Hospital, praising staff for their teamwork, togetherness and optimism.
RCN Chief Executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, visited the hospital to learn more about how West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has transformed its nursing culture and changed the way teams work together, including its success in eliminating corridor care.
Corridor care, where patients are treated in corridors or other inappropriate spaces because of pressure on emergency departments and hospital beds, has become a significant challenge across the NHS.
At West Herts, a strong focus on patient flow, closer working between clinical teams and a culture in which staff take collective responsibility for patients across the hospital have helped ensure people arriving in the Emergency Department are cared for in appropriate clinical spaces.
During her visit, Nicola saw the empty Emergency Department corridors first-hand and spoke to staff about the changes they have made to provide emergency care without routinely treating patients in corridors.
She also toured the hospital, meeting nurses on the wards, in the Emergency Assessment Unit (EAU) and Children’s Emergency Department, hearing about their experiences and the different ways teams are working to improve patient care.
The visit concluded with a nursing roundtable, giving colleagues from a range of nursing roles and specialties the opportunity to share their experiences and discuss some of the opportunities and challenges facing the profession.
Kelly McGovern, Chief Nurse at West Herts Trust, said: “This visit was a great opportunity for us to show exactly what we do at West Herts and, in particular, the culture our nursing teams have created.
“Ending corridor care isn’t down to one initiative or one team. It relies on people working together across the hospital, taking responsibility for our patients and constantly looking at how we can provide safer, more dignified care.”
Nicola praised nurses for their optimism and ‘togetherness’, describing it as ‘inspiring’ to see how colleagues look after both their patients and each other.
Speaking after the visit, Nicola encouraged other NHS trusts and nursing teams to learn from West Herts. She said: “Culturally, they’ve really been able to focus on patients and eliminated corridor care. They’ve showed that where there’s hope and teamwork there’s a chance of making things better.”
Kelly added: “It was wonderful to hear an external perspective on just how talented our teams are. Once again, I’m incredibly proud of our nurses and everything they do.
“Providing care in the right environment makes a real difference to patients’ safety, privacy and dignity, and our teams have worked incredibly hard to make that happen.”
The RCN is the world’s largest nursing union and professional body, representing more than half a million nursing staff and students in the UK and internationally.